KNLT Adds 353 Acres to The Narrows Preserve on Pine Mountain
KNLT recently purchased 353 acres of key conservation land on Pine Mountain near Pineville in Bell County. The two tracts acquired protect unique habitats that harbor a diversity of plant and animal life, including the endemic Icebox Cave Beetle found nowhere else on Earth. These acquisitions kept this beetle off the endangered species list. These […]
KNLT Summer Artists’ Retreat 2017
KNLT hosted a summer artists’ retreat on Pine Mountain in early June. We invited a diverse group of artists for the weekend to engage them in our Pine Mountain Wildlands Corridor project, the largest conservation effort ever undertaken in Kentucky. The historic Pine Mountain Settlement School offered the group a lovely setting for the retreat […]
John Muir’s Southern Trek, 150 Years
John Muir is one of America’s best-known and influential naturalists and conservationists. This year marks the sesquicentennial of Muir’s thousand-mile walk across the southeastern U.S. (1867-68). Longtime KNLT partner and collaborator Chuck Roe was inspired to retrace the path of Muir’s long walk, but with a different focus—that being by telling the story of land […]
A Journey Through Myxomycetes: A Forest Steward Perspective
by Derrick Lindsay, KNLT Forest Steward My journey with slime molds all began in an introductory biology course taught by Dr. Adam Rollins at Lincoln Memorial University, little did I know that the course would shape my future and my perspective of nature and slime molds. This all happened with the introduction to a little […]
Annual Report 2016
KNLT had another very productive year with many conservation victories to celebrate. The following are a few highlights from 2016. – The acquisition of 2,050 acres outside of Pineville establishing The Narrows Preserve, a key link in the Great Eastern Trail. Read More – The protection of 651 acres between Pineville and Harlan in Bell […]
KNLT Fall Artists’ Retreat 2016
KNLT recently hosted our fourth artists’ retreat on Pine Mountain. We hosted 17 artists for the weekend to engage them in our Pine Mountain Wildlands Corridor project, the largest conservation effort ever undertaken in Kentucky. We stayed at the lovely, historic Pine Mountain Settlement School and spent the weekend showing them the wonders of the […]
World Wood Web
KNLT’s efforts to protect, connect and restore wildlands is rooted in the foundation that biodiversity is a web of life that is essential to sustaining all life on the planet. This web of life is so complex that science continues to make new discoveries about its connections and functions. The emerging science helps illustrate the […]
KNLT Recognized for Its Public-Private Partnerships
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) received the 2016 Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary’s Award last week in recognition of the organization’s land conservation efforts and partnerships with state government and other organizations. A statement from the Cabinet said it was recognizing KNLT for its more than two decade commitment to preserving Kentucky’s diminishing natural places […]
KNLT Protects Another 651 Acres of the Pine Mountain Wildlands Corridor
KNLT recently acquired three tracts of forestland totaling 651 acres along Pine Mountain in Bell County. The tracts contain a diversity of unique habitats and add to the critically important conservation lands that are already a part of the Pine Mountain Wildlands Corridor. Over the last year nearly 4,000 acres of forests in Bell and […]
KNLT Spring Artists’ Retreat 2016
KNLT recently hosted a spring artists’ retreat on Pine Mountain. We invited 15 artists for the weekend to engage them in our Pine Mountain Wildlands Corridor project and to show them the wonders of the mountain in hopes they would be inspired by their time with us. We stayed at the historic Pine Mountain Settlement […]
Blanton Forest Added to the Old-Growth Forest Network
KNLT is excited to announce that on May 20, 2016 Blanton Forest was added to the Old-Growth Forest Network, a growing alliance dedicated to the preservation of unique and beautiful native forests across the U.S. KNLT formed in 1995 to protect the old-growth forest that is now Blanton Forest State Nature Preserve. Our efforts have […]
Helping Fort Knox Manage for Bats
By Cody Stephens, KNLT Lead Forestry/Wildlife Tech KNLT launched a new innovative partnership with Fort Knox Military Installation in 2014, hiring a crew of forestry & wildlife technicians to assist the U.S. Army post with forest management aimed at improving habitat for federally listed bats. Funding for this project was provided through the Imperiled Bat […]
The Wildlands of Pine Mountain
KNLT has completed production of our short film The Wildlands of Pine Mountain. The film was shown at film festivals in Louisville and Morehead over the last few months. We are pleased to now share it with you and encourage you to share it with your friends. Wildlands are an essential part of life on […]
KNLT Protects One of the Most Important & Largest Tracts on Pine Mountain
KNLT recently purchased 2,050 acres of Pine Mountain near Pineville in Bell County establishing The Narrows Preserve. Pine Mountain is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, some found nowhere else in the entire world. It represents an important migratory route for neotropical migrant birds and monarch butterflies, as well as many other […]
KNLT Co-Founder Remembered
We wanted to offer a few words of remembrance for Donald Harker, a visionary and lifelong champion for a better planet who died in Oregon last week. Don was formative in so many of Kentucky’s environmental firsts and natural areas conservation initiatives. He offered guidance and inspiration for a whole generation of conservation workers in […]
KNLT Earns National Recognition
KNLT has achieved accreditation – a mark of honor in land conservation. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awarded accreditation, signifying its confidence that KNLT lands will be protected forever. Accredited land trusts across the country have permanently conserved more than 15 million acres of farms, forests and natural areas that are vital to healthy, vibrant […]
A Natural Commonwealth
by Greg Abernathy, KNLT Assistant Director Kentucky is a place of great natural beauty defined by both its cultural and natural heritage. This commonwealth of lush forests and flowing rivers sustains and inspires, yet has been exploited for nearly two centuries. Kentucky’s resiliency, as well as the world’s, is dependent upon functioning natural systems that […]
Annual Report 2015
KNLT had a very productive 2015 with many conservation victories to celebrate. The following are a few highlights. – The acquisition of over 1,000 acres within the original Blanton Forest preserve design. This included 966 acres on the south face (highlighted in the report) and another 54 acres on the north face acquired at the […]